Merle Oberon: The Indian Hollywood star who passed as white | Sound-scape | BBC News India

Merle Oberon, a Hollywood star of the black and white era, is a forgotten icon in India, the country of her birth. She is the first actor of Asian origin to be nominated for an Oscar. Listen to this audio-first, visuals-led story of this famous actor who had to keep her racial identity under wraps.

Reported by Meryl Sebastian
Video by Devang Shah
Voiceover by Nikita Mandhani

#merleoberon #hollywood #indiahistory #hollywoodactor

Footage: Getty Images

0:20 Merle Oberon's inspiration: Silent film actress Vilma Bánky
0:28 Starts acting from Calcutta amateur theatrical society
0:32 Travels to France and meets Rex Ingram
0:45 Merle's family background
1:10 Sir Alexander Korda meets Merle
1:35 Tasmania is chosen as her new birth place
1:41 Merle gets nominated for an Oscar
3:00 Journalists started noting her tanner complexion

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